Imperial Succession
by Spartan-IV
Summary: Due to the actions of Gordon Freeman, the Combine Empire has been shattered. With galactic balance threatened, a new force is required to maintain stability. The sucessors, however, could be even more maelovolent than their predecessors.
1. Section Attacks

**At long last, the start of my sequel to Empire Beneficiary. **

**Now just as I mentioned in the last chapter of Empire, I will be using things I plan on having in my novel, that I hope to someday publish, so I don't want to see any of these anywhere else (unless of course you ask first). It took me a while to create simple names for my novel, let alone weapon and vehicle sketches. **

**Just think of it as a crossover between Half-Life and a kickass book....that hasn't been made.......yet :)**

* * *

On the outskirts of a forest the sun lay low in the horizon, its last rays striking the Earth before night fell in the northern hemisphere of the planet. The sound of footsteps crunching against twigs and leaves accompanied the movement of five trainees out on an exercise as they quickly traversed the landscape. From a distance, their movements resembled that of a typical soldier. Upon closer inspection, however, it was easy to see that each one was about nine years old. Even so, their muscular conditioning was adequate for carrying an old pulse-rifle, extra ammo, and a side-arm. Woodland fatigues allowed the recruits to blend into their surroundings, an important task for their current assignment.

An upraised right hand from the squad leader made the four others stop in their tracks, they slowly moved to a kneeling position with the added order to stay out of sight. The squad's encrypted COM crackled to life, "Lead to squad, we're in position, eyes on the target area." The squad leader waited for his team's acknowledgement before contacting the other teams in the area, "Alpha One to Bravo."

"Reporting in," Bravo's squad leader responded, "We're at the target location, everything looks fine."

"Do another sweep to make sure, then move to the assault position. I don't want to be surprised this time."

"Right, Bravo out."

With the team update finished, the squad leader trained his weapon on a small clearing about two hundred metres from their position.

The new recruits, totalling about fifty in number, had been split up for this exercise, with only ten of them being selected from their original group. The two squads, Alpha and Bravo, had been tasked with a "search and destroy" operation. Their objective was to neutralize enemy combatants and secure the perimeter for a friendly advance. Since the operation was an exercise, old Combine pulse rifles and resistance developed sniper rifles had been refitted to fire highly potent Ativan tranquilizer darts. One shot was all it took to incapacitate a target for a period of fifteen minutes.

What struck the recruits as curious was the fact that they had been pitted against the 1st battalion of "Barney's Own" Frontier Defenders. Barney Calhoun, an iconic symbol for the military lnext to Gordon Freeman, had trained the original members of the regiment himself when they were only twelve years old. While Barney now trained the new commando group, the Swift Response Force (SRF), the standard army regiment had been nicknamed "Barney's Own."

It was no secret that the most proficient of the fifty nine year old trainees had been selected to form Alpha and Bravo squad, what was secret, was the reason behind the action.

Shaking his head to dispel his distracting thoughts, Alpha's squad leader took a deep breath and mentally reviewed his mission plan. Bravo's task was to point out sentries to Alpha while they advanced. Bravo was only authorized to fire when the enemy had engaged Alpha, in order to maintain the element of surprise for as long as possible.

Since Bravo had just ensured that their rear flank was secure, Alpha's leader was no longer worried about an ambush from that side, though he was far from feeling relieved. The Frontier Defenders had been sent a day ahead of the two squads, giving them more than enough time to set-up defensive emplacements and traps.

Still, Alpha's leader knew his plan was sound and he had confidence in his squad mates. Waiting for Bravo to move to the final position seemed to take an agonizingly long time but a transmission from the squad came five minutes later. "Brave one to lead, firing arcs covered, you can move in now."

"Now that I have your permission, I'll be sure to do that," Alpha One replied with a toothy grin, "Keep an eye out for enemy sentries, I don't want a repeat of the last op."

"Noted," Bravo One replied tersely, "Now get a move on." The last sentence was quickly followed by a closing COM channel.

Alpha team leader's grin widened even further at Bravo One's actions before he steeled himself for the task ahead. "Lead to squad, we are go for attack. Proceed as planned."

Four acknowledgements met his order as the five camouflaged trainees distanced themselves from one another and started their slow descent downhill. Their heels made contact with the ground first before the rest of their foot followed suite. The technique, often referred to as "ghost walking," was used to ensure that the trainees wouldn't be heard as they made their way through the forest floor and the slow pace made it less likely that enemy sentries would be able to identify the advancing squad in the slowly diminishing lighting.

"Alpha, freeze!" Bravo One urgently cried into the COM, "Enemy sentry patrolling near the clearing, fifty metres to your left of arc Alpha Two."

"Seen, wait out." Only those close to Alpha Two were able to hear a soft hiss from the ejection of two Ativan-darts. The projectiles struck their target dead centre, making him crumple to the ground. "This is Two, target down."

"Alpha Team you have three minutes before the next patrol passes through," Bravo One reported after a brief pause.

"Copy," Alpha leader said to Bravo before addressing his squad, "Alpha Two, hide the patrol in the forest. The rest of you, follow me."

Making sure that the clearing was free from any obvious enemy traps and ambushes, Alpha One silently moved out of the forest and headed deeper into enemy territory. Making a point of taking in his surroundings, Alpha leader could see that the area was filled with a few small tents that blended with the surroundings. Stopping at the side of the closest tent, the squad leader noticed that a small system of trenches had been created at the corners of the camp.

Luckily, Alpha Team had followed their squad leader's plan to the letter, emerging through a small blind spot in their defences that Bravo Team had spotted during their initial reconnaissance. Alpha One waited for Two to rejoin before issuing commands. Looking to Three, Alpha One pointed to an area close to the centre of the enemy camp and flashed four fingers. The squad leader pointed to Alpha Four and Five, motioned to the closest trench, and then held up three fingers. Alpha Two's command came in the form a circling finger and a direction to the left of the camp.

The appointed recruits nodded and moved to accomplish their objectives. Alpha One watched them go before moving to the right of the encampment, ensuring to stay hidden as he did so. His main battle plan was based on luring the camp's occupants to the trench Alpha Four and Five were about to raid, where Bravo Team would have a clear line of fire.

In order to accomplish that Alpha Four and Five were to quietly neutralize the sentries in the trench and then place remote detonated flash charges around the area in under three minutes. Alpha Three would sneak into the centre of the camp and place a sonic charge, on a four minute timer, at the centre of the camp in order to wake up those still sleeping. A warning flare would be fired in the sky from Alpha Four and Five, letting their enemies think that an attack was coming from that area. From there, Alpha Three, Four, and Five would fall back into the forest while the camp diverged on the mined trench. Once the majority of the camp was close to the flash charges, they would be detonated. Bravo Team, along with Alpha Three, Four, and Five, would open fire. Alpha One and Two, on the other hand, would subdue the few stragglers, who would undoubtedly stay behind at their posts, and ensure that the perimeter was secure.

Letting out a deep breath, Alpha One tried to do something he was never good at: wait. He was fairly patient for his age, but he never liked sitting around and waiting when he knew that his squad was engaged in battle. Still, he had assigned his squad mates tasks based on their skills. Alpha Three had a knack for moving about unseen, Alpha Four and Alpha Five were known for being able to quickly neutralize targets. Though it was a skill shared by the entire team, the two of them combined took it to a whole new level.

Alpha Two was an accomplished marksman; he was the only one on the squad who could fire a weapon accurately for distances longer than the established specifications listed. The only reason he wasn't on Bravo Team was for the simple fact that he preferred engaging targets at close range. He was something of a paradox.

The squad leader was proficient with nearly every skill, though he excelled with observation. An important skill for any leader to have, being as observant as Alpha One was allowed for quick snap decisions to battle plans in the heat of combat. The ability to quickly adapt to the unpredictability of combat was often all it took to claim victory. Of course, the skill was also helpful in detection, the main reason why the squad leader was always on point.

A click from an open and closing COM channel let Alpha One know that at least one of the teams were in position. A couple of minutes passed before two more clicks resounded on the COM. Even though the rest of Alpha Team could attack now that everyone was in position, Alpha One knew they'd be waiting for his signal to go, and so he gave it with a rapid flurry of COM clicks.

Checking to make sure he was in an obscured position, Alpha One knelt in the shadows at the side of one of the tents and waited.

Exactly three minutes after Alpha One had given the command to move in, a bright streak arced into the sky, illuminating the entire encampment for ten seconds before winking out, The enemy sentries were instantly on alert as a few made their way towards the source of the flare. Freezing in place, Alpha One made no effort against the soldiers who passed him. As soon as he was sure the last sentry was gone, the squad leader moved to through the encampment. Though he hadn't specified it in his initial mission plan, he wanted to subdue the remaining patrols and sentries before Alpha Three's sonic charge went off.

Slipping through the campsite with barley a sound to his name, Alpha One moved to a trench on his side that was still manned by four sentries. Three of them were looking away from him, while one was looking in his direction. Alpha One stopped himself from hastily raising his modified rifle and opening fire, he was confident that the patrol hadn't seen him. Moving incredibly slowly, from his position alongside some bushes, the squad leader brought his weapon to his shoulder and took aim at the sentry looking in his direction. Knowing that he would have to subdue all four fairly quickly, Alpha One practiced panning his weapon to each individual target. When he was sure he could do it quickly, he aimed at his first target and double tapped his rifle. Without even checking to confirm a hit, he moved on to the other targets. Two bodies seemed to hit the ground simultaneously, before the other sentries could turn around to investigate, Alpha One squeezed off another burst of Ativan-darts, rendering the remaining sentries unconscious. A quick survey of the visible perimeter let the squad leader know that no more patrols were active, either they had gone to investigate the "attack" or they had already been neutralized.

Moving toward the sole remaining trench, it was obvious that Alpha Two had already accomplished his task, the young recruit climbed out of the defensive emplacement with a grin on his face. When the two were close enough to clearly see each other, the squad leader pointed to his watch and then toward the nearest tent. The silent command being to neutralize the soldiers, that would awaken from the sonic blast, when they left their tents.

Thirty seconds after the command was given, a loud explosion seemed to resound from the centre of the encampment. The previously sleeping soldiers were instantly up, moving out of their tents with weapons ready. Some of them must have seen their companions under fire, they pointed the scene out to the rest and they moved off in fire-teams.

The squad leader cocked his weapon, he turned to Alpha Two and they both shared a grin at the scene. Both trainees advanced forward, their movements not even registered by the soldiers until the young recruits were firing at them.

Fifteen minutes later, their mission was complete; the encampment was secure and all of the unconscious soldiers were bound and lined up where they could be monitored. With the camp secure, Alpha's squad leader used the long rang antenna on his radio to transmit a simple message, "Alpha One to Eagle Eye, eviction complete."

The roar of an approaching aircraft could be hear just ten minutes after Alpha One's transmission. Resembling an old Combine Hunter-Chopper, the grey armoured aircraft could reach speeds of 400 kilometres an hour. Its primary armament consisted of both a forward and aft pulse turret. Previous Combine missile ordnance mounted on vestigial wings had been replaced with updated Tantus-class missiles. The laser guided ammunition acted as a cluster bomb. In addition to carrying a ten kilogram warhead payload, the missiles also contained several large-scale pulse bombs the Combine had favoured. On impact with a target, the warheads detonation propelled a series of energy bombs outward, destroying any organic components within a fifty metres radius. The chassis had been upgraded from the old model, the centre of the helicopter had been hollowed out to act as a carrier bay, in order for it to function as a troop transport and conduct supply runs in and out of the battlefield.

Hovering just three feet off the ground, a single figure jumped from the chopper and moved to the recruits who now stood and rapt attention as they recognized the approaching person. "Major!" Alpha One shouted as he snapped off a crisp salute, only lowering it once the officer returned the gesture.

"At ease Private," The female officer replied, her close cropped brown hair flowing from the helicopter's still rapidly moving rotors. Her sharp green eyes locked with his and a smile formed on her face as she continued, "Or should I say congratulations, brother, you passed the test."

"Test, Kate?" The younger soldier couldn't help but say as he looked around at the encampment in confusion before he caught his slip and straightened back to attention.

Kate waved him off, however, and said, "Yes Jacob, test. Barney has been impressed with your team's progress and he wanted to see if you were ready."

"Ready for what?"

Kate smiled wider at her brother and said, "Ready to join the SRF."

* * *

**Your opinoin? I strive to perfect my writing.**


	2. Reassignment

**Sorry for the wait but I got hit by a car while I was on my bike on wednesday (June 24th). I had to go the hospital and everything and my leg still hurts like a mofo, luckily it isn't broken but I might have serious ligament damage since it hurts everytime I walk. **

**If I miss my summer SQ training, I'm going to be pissed.**

**Anyway thanks for the review One Schim, its good to be back.**

**

* * *

**

"…_.the SRF,"_

Kate's words echoed in Jacob's mind. The SRF prided itself on being the best, a pride that stemmed from the fact that it was the elite branch of the Collective Tactical Defence Force (CTDF), the new name for the Resistance. Reformed from the original Quick Response Force, SRF members, also known as "Shadow Warriors," used stealth to attain their objectives. They were the first in a combat zone and the last to leave, often inflicting more damage than a standard soldier contingent could. The Combine had been the first to show the CTDF the value of such a tool. Shock troops, equipped with stealth suits, had been able to fire at their enemies without being seen. They had annihilated entire divisions by the time a defence had been created.

He'd always strived to prove that his team could surpass the Frontier Defenders, but he'd never thought his team would be joining the elite branch of the military. Pushing his thoughts aside for later, Jacob's blue eyes swept across the landscape below them. The vast expanse of forest whipped past in a blur as the helicopter maintained its maximum speed of 400 kph. The carrier bay of the converted Hunter-Chopper, now known as the RH-24, or Havoc, was large enough to hold at least fifteen people.

With Jacob's sister in the back, there were only eleven people occupying the bay. Alpha One took off his camouflaged field cap and ran a hand through his closely shaven brown hair. His squad mate's followed his example while Jacob returned his gaze to the landscape.

"So where are we going Major?" Jacob queried as he turned to look at Kate.

"Skip the formalities Jacob," Kate replied with exasperation, "In answer to your question, we're returning to Car….I mean Eagle Point." Kate caught herself from saying the base's official name as she shot Jacob a sympathetic look.

The young squad leader gave a weak smile in return. He was glad she didn't finish her original train of thought, though hearing the codename wasn't all that better. Every time he heard the base's name, it brought up painful memories.

Even though five years had passed since the Combine had been completely wiped out, The Battle of Carsile was far from forgotten in the minds of Jacob and his team. Just like the other recruits he had trained with, Jacob had only been four years old at the time of the battle. None of them had been allowed to leave the underground lab, stationed near the centre of the base, without an adult and so they had been forced to wait as their families fought for humanity's survival. His biological parents were among the few members of the Quick Response Force who stayed behind to assist the Frontier Defenders in protecting Carsile, while the remaining force had left to assist the garrison at Fort Hayes.

Jacob forced himself to blink back tears at the memory of his parents lying dead some distance away from the base's defence wall. Combine shock troops had planted charges that had turned the solid iron wall protecting the base into a molten ruin. Kate had told him how his parents, and a few others, were trying to fall back from the wall when the Combine charge had detonated. They were still inside the blast radius when it exploded.

Many children had been left as orphans from the Combine's last offensive, and many of the adults had volunteered to adopt them as their own. Gordon Freeman himself had done just that after Jacob had wandered aimlessly around Carsile in a futile attempt to find his parents. Though the young squad leader had accepted Alyx, Gordon, and Kate Freeman as his new family, he still felt an ache in his heart at the thought of his real parents.

"Jacob, you okay?"

Kate's voice snapped the squad leader out of his reverie. He looked at his 'sister', to find her looking at him with concerned eyes. Jacob gave her a nod; he felt it strange at the thought of a sibling being nearly twice as old as him, after all she was seventeen years old now.

When Barney began to concentrate exclusively on the SRF around three years ago, he decided that a new officer was needed to monitor the training of the standard soldier contingents. Kate's leadership ability made her a natural choice, so she had been transferred to serve as the new training officer with an added promotion from Captain to Major. She had continued to train what remained of the Frontier Defenders until Jacob and his group had turned six. Kate had taught them everything from properly donning battle gear to firing weapons. They owed her a lot.

"Scanners have detected you, present your identification." The command emitted from the helicopter's intercom system, an order from the standing sentries at Eagle Point to transmit the correct I.D signature.

"Roger, transmitting," One of the pilots responded.

A pause lingered for a moment before the sentry's voice returned, "Identification confirmed, welcome back Four-Two."

While the pilot sent his thanks to the sentry, Bravo One breathed out a sigh of relief, "Man, I hate it when they do that. Of course we're a friendly craft, what else would be moving at 400 kilometres an hour for crying out loud."

Jacob grinned at Bravo One, "Come on Derek, you know ant-lions are notorious for travelling at high speeds."

"Sure Jacob and Ichthyosaurs are really fun loving herbivores. Let's get real here."

Not even Kate could resist laughing at that comment; the laughter was a welcome distraction from the whirling rotor blades of the helicopter. Even with the rotors muffled by the closed bay doors, they were still fairly loud.

Jacob noticed his squad's second in command, Alpha Two, kept making nervous glances towards the rapidly moving landscape beneath. "Still don't like flying Kevin?"

"Of course not," Kevin said as he looked at his squad leader, "I think that if people were meant to fly we'd have wings."

"Kevin, I just don't understand you," Derek said in exasperation. "You must be the best shot in our group, but you don't want to be a sniper since you like to be up close. You want to get to places quickly but you don't want to use the fastest method of transportation. You're the definition of paradox."

"At least I'm consistent," Kevin replied with a smile.

Any further conversation between the trainees was cut off by the pilot's report, "We're right above the base, E.T.A is two minutes to landing."

Jacob looked down at Eagle Point; the improvements to the base over the years had been remarkable. Located on a small hill, the main base of operations for the CTDF was now a sixty kilometre wide enclosure, though it had retained its original square shape. The Combine's defeat had seen the collapse of the already ruined perimeter defence wall, for those old enough to remember, it had felt like the fall of the Berlin Wall all over again.

The additional ten kilometres was mainly used for vehicle and aircraft storage. The only difference was that the hangars had been built underground. Labelled Heli-pads were really large blast doors that led to an enormous underground chasm that stored all CTDF vehicles. Underground trams allowed citizens and soldier alike to quickly move throughout the base. An entire network of tunnels, reinforced with concrete and armour plating, led to points of interest such as the command bunker, the central plaza, and the laboratory.

Having been repaired after the Combine offensive, the new lab at Eagle Point researched everything from increased food production to new weaponry and vehicles. Doctor Kliener, Doctor Magnusson, and Doctor Freeman had recently finished construction of a teleportation nexus that allowed supplies and personnel to be instantaneously transported to outposts and bases. Even though it was the primary method of transportation now, CTDF installations were close enough to each other to provide support in the event that the teleport grid was knocked out during an attack.

On the surface itself were the residential districts, marketplaces, and the government quarter. Located in the central plaza, the government quarter and markets were some of the most important areas in the base. During the time of the Resistance there hadn't been an official government, though there was no denying that the military was in control.

Jacob cut his musings short with the sight of the Havoc lowering into the underground airport. Floodlights snapped on as the blast door overhead began to close, the bright beams of lights allowed the pilot to easily navigate the tunnel network. A straight drop of 100 metres later allowed the eleven occupants in the carrier bay bear witness to the airport. A twenty kilometre wide area had been excavated to allow vehicles to be placed on two enormous rectangular platforms. They were stacked on by one, the top being for aircraft, the bottom for vehicles. While aircraft exited through a vertical tunnel, vehicles exited through a diagonal exit that led to another blast door opening.

As the Havoc's pilot lowered the vessel down toward the platform, Jacob spotted mechanics, engineers, and pilots either maintaining or upgrading vehicles. The place was a hub of activity, engineers constantly moved around, trying to perform upgrades to every vehicle.

As soon as the helicopter touched the ground, Kate and the others piled out. "Jacob, you're with me." Kate said as she pointed to her brother, "The rest of you are dismissed for now."

On behalf of the remaining trainees, Derek snapped off a salute then spun on his heel and moved away. Jacob watched them go before trailing after his sister, "Where are we going Major?"

Jacob almost laughed as Kate turned to regard him with a scowl, "You do that on purpose don't you?"

"My apologies Major," Jacob said with a grin.

Kate sighed in annoyance, though Jacob caught a flicker of a smile cross her own face before she turned and started walking once more. "We're going to see Barney." Kate said in response to his query, "He has some questions for you I assume."

"Alright," was Jacob's response as the two continued to move forward.

They were approaching a gateway to one of the many trams stationed throughout the tunnels. A small security post barred access ahead, but Jacob was surprised at who the guards were. Normally, Defence Force personnel would be positioned down in the tunnels to create security checkpoints throughout the area. This time, however, the two guards were two experimental combat units.

DOG's success in the field of robotics had prompted a few scientists to try to recreate a more practical model. The result was a human-shaped bipedal robot with dense armour plating, and the ability to carry heavy ordnance with ease. The servomotors in their limbs allowed the units to be used to for a variety of heavy lifting tasks. Since they were modeled after DOG's design, they had sophisticated programming but they weren't sentient.

Barney had wanted to build the models to handle simple sentry duties, to try and take away some of the more boring postings on base. Although many scientists had opted to create more, Gordon had taken steps to limit the number of models created. He felt it was wise to have enough to perform heavy labour and night-time sentry duty, but he didn't want a whole army to be created in case something went wrong.

As Kate and Jacob drew closer, one of the combat units signalled Kate to stop with an upraised mechanical limb, its orange visual receptors looked at the two new-comers. "Your identification chips please," The units said with an electronic voice that resembled the strict professional tone many scientists tended to use.

Kate and Jacob both handed over the requested items and watched as the robot placed the chips on a nearby scanning pad. A blue line lanced across both chips before the display screen turned green. The unit handed both chips back to their respective owners, "Identity is confirmed, you may proceed."

Jacob followed Kate once more as the droid stepped aside to allow access to the area beyond. Thinking about the robots made Jacob ask, "So how're Mom and Dad doing?"

"Dad's fully immersed in the scientific world, but I guess you expected that," Kate said her last comment with a smile at her brother. "He says that his group is close to finishing their work on upgrading the portals to allow for multiple transportations at once. Next thing you know he'll have sites set-up on the Moon."

"Don't even joke about that Kate, he's probably planning it out already."

Laughter erupted from them both at that statement, "Probably," the older sibling agreed.

Jacob knew that while his adopted father was the ideal soldier, he preferred science over combat. It was a bit strange, considering his current postion.

The growing tensions between the military and scientific community warranted the placement of someone who could cater to both sides. The unanimous decision by the citizens was the placement of Gordon Freeman as High General and Head Scientist of the CTDF. His legendary status within the Resistance made him a natural choice, though he was known for dabbling more in scientific affairs than military ones.

Gordon's position was similar to that of the old world dictators, but the scientist only used his power to benefit the CTDF. Security, stability, and prosperity were the main concerns of the new government and the results in five years reflected such goals. Outposts, manned by a local garrison, were arranged around bases to provide an early warning system. Ground assault vehicles had been constructed, helicopters had been redesigned, and even a few prototype fighters had been built, though they had yet to be field tested. Soldiers constantly rotated between home garrison and temporary duties and they regularly conducted exercises to maintain their skills.

While the majority of the populace was enlisted in the Defence Force, there were enough scientists to help benefit and advance society. Increased food production, mechanized development, and even a few philosophies had developed from scientific research.

While many scientists were keen on advancing their fields, Jacob knew that a significant part of the progress was due to Gordon' scientific zeal. "What about Mom?" Jacob asked while he looked to his sister.

"Oh, she's been assisting Barney with training the SRF, and she's been working with Dad in the lab."

Jacob knew that his adopted mother, while interested in both science and the military, was concentrating more on the militaristic side. From the few stories that Jacob had heard from his adopted parents, he knew that, at some point during the battle at Eagle Point, Kate had been grievously injured and something had happened to Gordon. Jacob had tried asking his father about it, but the reluctant soldier had always tried to change the subject. Whatever had happened Jacob believed that his mother felt as though she needed to be ready if it occurred again.

Pushing his thoughts to the side, the two siblings stepped on one of the arriving trams. Essentially salvaged components from the Combine trains, CTDF trams were attached to Combine created engine locomotives. The automatic transportation system featured re-designed troop transport units. The units were streamlined in design, allowing for high speed travel. Bright lights illuminated the interior, showing that each unit was large enough to transport thirty people at once. The lack of seats inside meant that passengers had to grab onto handholds to stay upright.

As the tram started moving forward, an electronic female voice announced that the train was departing. Jacob and Kate glanced at each other and shared a smile at the sound. When the tram had been built, Barney had convinced Doctor Kliener to install an electronic intercom. The result had been a recreation of the intercom used on Black Mesa trams, much to Gordon's disapproval. The system would rattle of warnings that were common sense to any normal person and list other superfluous information during the trip to its destination. The way Barney told the two, he and Alyx couldn't stop laughing as Gordon's scowl had been plastered on his face during his first tram ride.

Five minutes later, the siblings, having passed at a few more checkpoints after departing the tram, were finally ascending on a lift that would take them directly to the command bunker overhead. It took another five minutes before the two were moving toward to a room at the end of a concrete reinforced hallway. A guard posted outside the room saluted Kate at her approach and keyed in the access code for the room.

The door slid open to reveal a dimly lit room with a wall of monitors displaying some type of video feed. Jacob took a closer look at the monitors and noticed that it was footage from the exercise he and his team had just participated in. The fact that it showed both teams meant that a third party had been observing them the whole time, how they had remained undetected from Bravo Team's keen eyes, the young squad leader had no idea. The footage stopped once it showed Alpha Team splitting up inside the encampment.

"A curious choice of tactics," A voice called out from the centre of the room.

Jacob turned his attention there and noticed for the first time that the room was occupied by a man. Even though he was looking at the monitors, and consequently had his back to Jacob, the young soldier knew that it was Barney Calhoun himself.

The Black Mesa veteran was now in his late fifties, his only visible sign of such an age, however, was his gray-streaked hair. Constantly being involved in his own military exercises gave Barney a soldier's conditioning and the hard eyes that came from witnessing the death of teammates on the battlefield. Though he still had his old joking personality, Barney exhibited more responsibility that he ever did in his youth.

"Care to explain the reasoning to me Jacob?" Barney said as he turned to face the nine year old recruit.

"Sir?" Jacob stated in confusion, he had no idea what he was supposed to explain.

"Your tactics led your enemies into a trap, rather than a complete stealth operation. Why?"

"Well sir, it made sense. Despite the fact that our enemies had constructed defensive fortifications and had sentries stationed throughout the perimeter, I felt certain that there were more traps within the camp itself. I opted to bypass such dangers by luring the garrison into a trap of my own."

"Excellent reasoning recruit, your caution was well deserved. Flash charges been placed near the entrance to the tents themselves, if you had tried to use pure stealth, your team would have lost." Barney stepped closer to Jacob as he continued, "As it stands you were able to subdue a contingent I had personally had a hand in training for two years. Very good, the instruction you've received from Kate has clearly not gone to waste. Your team's abilities and coherence have warranted you a place within the SRF." At this, Barney extended his hand to Jacob, "Should you choose to accept, that is."

"My team would love that sir," Jacob said as he shook the SRF commander's hand.

Barney smiled at the boy, "Then consider yourself drafted Jacob."

* * *

**I'm trying to work on developing the chapters that have breaks in between action sequences, let me know how I did.**

**I'm thinking of restoring the long-forgotten Cpl Shephard.....but I guess you'll just have to wait and see. **


	3. A Sucessor is Born

**My apologies for the wait, I must've re-written this chapter a dozen times. And, no, that's no exaggeration.**

**Hope it was worth the wait.**

* * *

A few hundred kilometres from a distant planetoid, a large fleet comprised of one hundred and fifty battleships seemed to suddenly materialize into the sector. Positioned in a loosely spaced crescent formation, a blue glow emitted from the four engines in the stern sections of the sleek vessels. The light cast from a nearby star reflected off the fleet's dark grey coloured hull as they quickly accelerated toward their target.

The ships had slight curves from the stern to the bow, with a narrow streamlined finish in the front. Raised platforms on both the dorsal and ventral sections of the craft accommodated the majority of the vessel's armament. Every ship's ordnance included eighty quad extirpator turrets, forty anti-starfighter batteries, and eight plasma cannons, giving each ship enough fire power to eradicate several cities alone. Its impressive armament, coupled with its high manoeuvrability and fast speeds made each battleship extremely formidable.

The lead ship in the fleet accelerated to put some more distance between it and the others. Its engines flared a darker blue as they absorbed more energy from the reactor. As the lead vessel's speed increased, so too did the activity inside the battleship.

Bipedal warriors fully encased in black armour increased their pace to light jogs as they prepared for the coming battle. High powered rifles were either attached to their backs or held at the ready, as their wielders moved toward the closest carrier bay. One such warrior let his x-shaped pupils observe his brethren's movements. His armoured three-toed feet didn't even make a sound against the metal interior while he headed toward the command centre of the fleet's flagship, The_ Relentless_.

It took only a few minutes for the soldier to reach a heavy blast door located at the centre of the battleship. Two vigilant guards stood to either side of the entrance, studying his every move as he keyed in his credentials and gained access. As the warrior stepped inside, he took note of the familiar layout of the command centre. Having entered from the far left side, the first sight to greet the newcomer was a short staircase leading to a lower crew deck that housed the vessel's navigation, communication, and sensor stations. On the far right was another small pit dedicated entirely to the ship's various weapon systems. Each one of the many consoles and display screen was linked to a series of weapons on a specific side. Such a division allowed for an efficient execution of the commander's orders.

Tearing his gaze away from the command crew, the warrior moved with purpose toward the centre of the bridge to speak with the vessel's commander. In such a position was a raised platform. Terminals and various screens scrolled with data, giving a readout of ship systems. The positioning of the command centre meant that there were no view ports to gaze out of to witness the area outside the ship. To compensate for this, engineers had installed wall mounted panels that displayed video feed from the vessel's external cameras.

Standing in the centre of this platform was the Primary Officer. The warrior took a deep breath through his armour's built-in respirator before continuing up the platform's ramp. Three more of the fully armed guards stood on either side. While every warrior in the fleet carried an R-7 assault rifle with them at all times, the guards on the platform were also equipped with plasma blades. An outer layer of electromagnetic energy was used to shape the plasma layer, allowing for a slightly curved design that ensured an unpredictable angle of attack. Only the commanders and elite warriors were permitted to wield such weapons.

Those blades activated at the warriors approach, with the first pair of guards crossing their weapons together, dissuading any further progress towards the ship's commander. Despite the loud noise associated with the plasma blade's activation, the Primary Officer didn't even bother to turn around. The flagship commander's attention was, instead, focused on the centre wall panel. It showed the visual feed from the ship's forward receptors. A swirling mass of cloud was the only thing that could be seen of the surface with the naked eye.

"Analysis," The Primary Officer's booming voice instantly garbed the attention of everyone on the bridge.

"Scans detect no orbital defence network my Lord," One of the ship's sensor operators reported from the port crewpit, "The visual feed correlates."

"Disappointing," The Primary Officer said, more to himself than anyone else, "It's been a while since the fleet has had a challenge. Signal the rest of our ships to encompass the entire planet, the invasion begins in six cycles. Perhaps the populace will offer more resistance then."

"By your command my Lord," The communications officer replied.

"You have information for me Commander Kasaros?" The Primary Officer queried without turning around.

With the ship's commander having acknowledged his presence, the two guards moved aside and let Kasaros pass. "Yes my Lord," The Commander said as he moved within three paces of the ship commander. "The Vanguard squad you sent ahead has made their report. The planet we are heading toward is populated by a group of beings who have, through technological means, devloped flight capability. The terrestrial portion of the planet is unstable, so our assault will have to be from the air."

Kasaros said no more after finishing the memorized report. He shifted his feet as he waited for the other to reply. He wasn't nervous, true warriors were never nervous, but he was cautious. Such a feeling stemmed from the fact that the warrior in front of him was no ordinary Primary Officer. He was Vontor Xaart, the clan overlord of their people and the warlord of their empire. He had helped to lead his brethren from the darkness of tribalism that they had shrouded themselves in for centuries.

Clans no longer had any meaning for them, now they were united under Vontor's banner. Tribal designations used to be the method of identification, a method which had resulted in more than a few conflicts. Now, however, they all recognized themselves by their species, they were the Malign, determined to build an empire and bring their people the stability their society had previously lacked.

"Commander Kasaros," Xaart said as he spun to face the warrior in question, his yellow eyes bearing into the commander's, "I'm delegating command of the flagship to you. Ensure that _nothing_ gets off the planet"

Kasaros hesitated for a split second, "As you wish Vontor."

His hesitation, however, did not go unnoticed by the warlord, "Is there a problem Commander?"

Although the warlord's voice gave off a feeling of curiosity rather than anger, Kasaros knew that Vontor did not like being challenged without good reason. "Not with your plan my Lord," The Commander hurried to assure his leader, "I merely think I would be of better use to you as a guard than as a fleet commander."

"Your role as Vanguard Captain is over now Kasaros. You have a task far more important than guaranteeing my protection."

"Vontor?" Kasaros said in confusion. He was at a loss as to what could be more important than the warlord's survival.

"Learning from me Commander," Xaart clarified, his gaze fixing on the panel displaying the target planet. "In any event, it's far too perilous for both of us to partake in combat, until you feel you are ready to serve as my successor."

In answer, Kasaros thumped his armoured hand against his chest plate and gave a half-bow to acknowledge Vontor's original command.

Without another word, the warlord's armoured form headed out of the command centre. The Vanguard stationed on the platform fell into step beside Xaart without a word. A collection of the Malign's elite, the Vanguard were the Vontor's personal guard, spies, and field commanders. Each of them continuously rotated between these duties, in order to ensure that the Vontor's protectors were continuously battle hardened.

Even now, regardless of the fact that they were aboard a friendly vessel, the cadre of guards were constantly scanning their surroundings. Vontor was a prominent warrior in his own right, but recent events had made him aware that he had to ensure his own protection.

Xaart and his protectors stepped into a lift and, once he uttered the words 'first assault bay,' it traversed through the battleship until it came to a stop in the ventral section of the vessel. The area housed the majority of the ship's drop-ships and fighter craft. The vehicles were spread throughout the enormous bay, either on the deck waiting to be deployed, or stored in various racks lining both the walls and ceiling.

Since a ground assault was impossible for this invasion, the bay was completely lined with fighters. Named the Shirak, after a fearsome avian predator Malign warriors had encountered on a conquered world, the fighters were even deadlier than their namesake. Only about four metres in length, the body of the craft was narrow and prism-like in design, featuring a cockpit directly in the front. A large pair of wings branched off at the midpoint between the engines and cockpit.

At first glance the ship elicited an appearance of being slow and unwieldy, due to the large stubby wings, but, on closer inspection, it was easy to see that two more pairs of collapsible wings had been fitted inside the top and bottom of the primary wings. This gave the ship a total of six wings, each one fitted with dual extirpator cannons.

While far smaller in scale than their interstellar equipped counterparts, the fighter's extirpator arsenal still fired the same ammunition, plasma capsules. The high velocity from the firing sequence alone was enough to rip through most armour plating, but the added dispersal of plasma ensured the annihilation of any defence.

Moving through the bay, Vontor and his procession walked toward a group of pilots who were assembled around their personal craft. Having discarded the traditional helmets for the more vacuum friendly ones, their eyes were now hidden behind a small visor panel; though it was obvious from their stances that they were watching the approaching group.

The soldiers quickly silenced themselves at the warlord's approach, instantly straightening their postures before they simultaneously made a half bow to their leader. Xaart looked at the others for a few seconds before shouting in a voice that echoed across the bay, "Soldiers of the Imperium! We deploy to engage another species in combat, to add another planet to our territory. The time has come to show why the Malign are destined to rule!"

Ear shattering roars erupted from the pilots at Vontor's last words, reverberating throughout the chasm as they showed their approval. Further cheers were subsided by a ship-wide announcement from Commander Kasaros. "This is the Primary Officer, prepare for combat. Warriors to your designated craft, the invasion begins in one cycle."

The group in front of Vontor gave another half-bow before moving off to pilot their own fighters. The clan overlord watched them go, a smile, hidden by his helmet, grazed the veteran's expression at the thought of how the enemy would react when thousands of nimble aircraft began raining down on their world. Turning his gaze away from the others, the warlord resumed his march toward his own personal fighter. It was the same as all the other Shirak fighters in the bay, save for the fact that it was positioned directly in the front, with six other craft nearby.

Xaart quickly boarded his Shirak, and ran through a quick systems check. Even though the interior of the craft was fairly dark, Vontor had no trouble in seeing what he was doing. All of the Malign had evolved to adapt to a homeworld which was continuously shrouded in darkness for half of its rotation. Their species had evolved to the point where their eyes could see far into the infrared spectrum, enabling sight where others only saw darkness.

Half a cycle later, the flagship's ventral carrier bay opened and fifty fighters plummeted toward the planet below. Engines flared to life and the Shirak squadrons attained speeds akin to a colliding asteroid as they repositioned for a 180 degree insertion. The rest of the fleet soon followed the flagship's example and over seven thousand fighters descended from all sides of the planet.

Despite the fairly close proximity of the remaining squadrons, Magnus' honour guards never wavered from their protective formation. They had sworn to safeguard Vontor and they would see it done, no matter the cost. It was demonstration of such intense loyalty that made Xaart's features quirk into a slight grin. The Vanguard knew that the Malign Imperium could not survive if he were to die before passing on, at least the core of, his teachings to Commander Kasaros. They had barley recovered from one transition and it would be impossible for their order to survive another.

"Captain Tarterik," Xaart spoke into his helmet's COM, addressing the newly chosen Vanguard Commander, "Separate formations in crescent pattern."

Malign COM systems were integrated into every helmet design. Operating on the principle of infinite frequency modulations, the system continuously shifted its frequency every three seconds. Unless another system was precisely calibrated, the message would be lost; this ensured the impossibility of enemy forces monitoring communication traffic

"Yes Vontor," Tarterik responded, relaying the orders to the two squadrons following Vontor.

Xaart watched as the six other fighters of his personal guard quickly formed the ordered configuration. With Xaart in the lead, the successive lines were close enough to offer protection, but far enough away to allow for evasive action. The remaining squadron followed suite and eighteen fighters accelerated ahead to lead the invasion.

"Deploy all assault wings," Vontor's voice reached the ears of every fighter pilot, "Capacitors to maximum."

The Shirak pilots complied, completing the craft's total armament of twelve dual extirpator cannons. "We're approaching the target location Vontor," Captain Tarterik reported after a few seconds, "Scanners detect various aliens clustered around an atmospheric station."

No sooner had the Vanguard commander spoken, then the fighters had broken through the dense atmospheric gases as they crossed into the planets thermosphere. True to Tarterik's report, a large cylindrical station dominated the surroundings. A group of creatures were moving around them, their anatomy was far from what would be expected from natural aviators. Elongated necks gave way to a massive bulk that sported twelve muscular limbs. The presence of a wide, armoured tail and powerful jaw gave testament to the presence of a terrestrial predator.

A loud shriek erupted in the sky as the unidentifiable newcomers accelerated toward their targets. The creatures reacted, moving toward the safety of the closest atmospheric station. "They're retreating," Captain Tarterik's voice was filled with surprise at the tactic.

"Vontor," One of his elite reported, "I'm detecting an influx of energy emissions from the station. It could be a weapon's charging cycle."

Xaart features quirked into a tight smile. _Perhaps these creatures can still pose a challenge_, he thought before responding to the report. "Break formation, three Shiraks per attack profile."

The pilots responded; the crescent formation instantly dissolved into six separate triangular patterns. Vontor swerved his craft in a sharp roll, Captain Tarterik and another guard mirroring his own movements precisely. A tightly concentrated beam lanced away from the station, heading to the centre of the previously held crescent formation. "Never underestimate your enemies Captain," Xaart said with a slight reprimand to the Captain's earlier statement. A few of the creatures turned back around after the station's weapon discharge and moved toward the outsiders. The Malign warlord didn't wait to test their combat capabilities. "Warriors, advance! Let none stand in your way!"

A surge of approval echoed from the nearby Shirak pilots, their weapons firing rampantly. High impact plasma capsules descended toward the creatures and the station, tearing through flesh and metal alike. Bright orange flashes followed the capsule impacts, signalling the plasma dispersals. Flesh cauterized and metal melted in the wake of the secondary payload. Hundreds of extirpator rounds followed the first wave, targeting the station that loomed ahead. The station's hull proved fruitless in deflecting the barrage, dense metal plating was quickly riddled with hundred of plasma capsules. While the capsules themselves may not have been large enough to inflict anything more than superficial damage, the superheated gas quickly spread through the station.

Another beam lanced from one of the station's hard-points, heading toward one of the triangular patterns. The three fighters were already moving before the energy beam was fired. For any other fighter, the result would have been destruction. But the highly manoeuvrable Shirak enabled the pilots to escape such a fate. They only broke their formation for a scant unit before reforming to continue the assault.

The bombarded continued for another minute before the hull damage went beyond design specifications. A blue flash appeared in the lower portions of the station, a serious of concussive explosions soon followed and the Malign ceased fire with the realization that their target was going critical. The Shirak pilots watched as an explosive shockwave moved away from the station, destabilizing whatever equipment was responsible for letting the structure maintain altitude. It plummeted to the scarred surface below, the shrieks from the life forms trapped inside lowered in volume until it impacted into the planet with a thunderous crack.

Victory and disappointment surged in Vontor at that moment, the elation of another world conquered by his forces, while at the same time defeating an enemy that was hardly challenging. "Are there any more creatures within range Captain," The warlord's query having been addressed to Tarterik alone.

"Negative my Lord," Tarterik responded, "Our sister squadrons have dealt with their opposition. Reports from the other Commanders suggest that the enemy is already close to surrender. Total control is imminent my Lord."

"Remember my teachings Captain," Xaart responded coldly, "Victory is by no means certain. No matter how weak a species may appear, ferocity and tactical insight may only diminish when the planet has been secured. Otherwise, enemies may gain the upper hand."

"Yes, Vontor," Tarterik said wearily, "Forgive my assumption, I will refrain from making such predictions in the future."

"No forgiveness is necessary Captain, but you must remember that you are the second in line for succession. You would do well to adhere to my words."

"Yes Vontor."

"If our part in this invasion is over then" Vontor said, his words having been redirected on a COM channel to every pilot of the two squadron under his command, "We will return to the flagship. Captain Tarterik, summon the other commanders once we are aboard, they have enough data for a decision."

"I will see it done my Lord."

A full rotation later saw Vontor back on the command module of the _Relentless_, Captain Tarterik and five other Vanguard had resumed their posts on the ramp ascending to their warlord. Two of them faced inward to look at the three warriors only five paces away from Vontor. The Vanguard regarded the three newcomers with a look of indifference, though their hands rested on their holstered plasma blades.

The three performed the traditional greeting to the warlord, who turned around to meet their gazes. The three were from the different ranks of the Imperium. Starting from Commander Kasaros down to a typical warrior, the three stood ready to voice their observations to Vontor. "What is your assessment of these creatures Commander?" Xaart queried as he turned to his second in command.

"Judging from the scans of their technology, it's been concluded that they are innovative in design. Cybernetic technology was implanted directly into their bodies to enable flight in order to escape the cataclysmic scarring of their planet. I would say it would be worth plundering at the very least my Lord."

Vontor acknowledged Kasaros' statement, then turned his attention to one of the Squadron Leaders. "What would you say of their combat capabilities?"

"Far from note-worthy Vontor, barley a handful of pilots were lost. Their entire planet was conquered in less than a rotation."

"I am aware of the time it took to conquer Commander, stick to your report in the future."

The Squadron Leader suddenly appeared very weary, he had to suppress the urge to quake with fear at the warlord's cold gaze. "Yes Vontor."

"And you, pilot?"

"My Lord, I would concur with the Squadron Leader. Their combat weaponry was ineffective and they were unable to show any real resistance, even with such a clear threat in their midst."

"Well said pilot," Vontor said before regarding the group before, "Your assessments have been noted." Motioning to the pilot and Squadron Leader Xaart said, "You are dismissed."

The two made another signature salute to the warlord before turning in place and marching out of the command centre. "Commander," Vontor said as he spun to face the panel displaying the planet below, "Send out search parties to scavenge any technology of value."

Kasaros wordlessly obeyed, he headed out to relay the warlord's command.

-

Commander Kasaros returned a few cycles later, once Vontor had acknowledged his presence, and the Vanguard relaxed their posture, he made his report. "All of the raiding parties have returned my Lord. All technology of value has been secured. Two of the dead creatures have also been recovered; a few of the researchers wish to examine their cybernetic implants."

"Tell them to proceed," Vontor replied absently, "Expediently if possible." Xaart turned from the panel showing the fleet's current positions and turned toward to look at the port crewpit. "Is the fleet in position?"

"Yes Vontor," The navigator responded after a brief glance at his console, "All Primary Officers report ready."

Vontor turned back to the panel showing the planet below and said with a loud roar, "All batteries, fire!"

The _Relentless_' gunnery operators responded at once, all of the forward quad extirpator batteries fired their enormous payload in rapid succession, with the rest of the fleet following the flagship's lead. The entire sphere was soon ablaze with thousands of extirpator rounds.

A grim smile made its way to the warlord's face as he watched another planet burn. The remaining stations had been the fleet's priority targets, though Vontor prided himself on efficiency and he continued to watch as the surface looked as though it were being assaulted by thousands of comet impacts.

The _Relentless_' gunnery crew soon ceased fire, with the fleet stopping just as quickly, "The priority targets have been neutralized, my Lord," The closest operator reported.

Vontor stood silent for a few moments, "Switch to the plasma cannons. Strip away the planets atmosphere; ensure this planet can never breed any more pathetic life forms."

At the warlord's command, the _Relentless_ opened fire once more, dual bright yellow orbs erupted from the two forward cannons, arcing toward the planet below. Space seemed to erupt in yellow fire, with the other Primary Officers giving the order to fire again,

Slowly, the superheated gasses ate away at the planet's atmosphere until it had been completely dispelled, leaving the planetoid a mere echo of what it had once been.

* * *

**This is one of those chapters where I really want to know what you guys think.**

**Comments and critics on my future sci-fi race would be much appreciated.**

**Or just press back and look at something else, whatever works for you...**


End file.
